Cyprus will move to “self-service”, starting its own gas production

Cypriot Energy Minister Natasha Pilidis said that gas production from Cypriot fields will soon begin.

The project is quite promising and promises considerable benefits for the country. The Minister counts on the important role of Cyprus in supplying Europe with its own gas and electricity, and said in an interview with journalists of the Cyprus News Agency:

“We very much expect that in the near future Chevron Corporation will come up with specific proposals for the Aphrodite field. In addition, we pin great hopes on cooperation with Israel and Egypt. The immediate task is to develop an optimistic schedule, taking into account all the possibilities now available.

According to Ms. Pilidis, up-to-date information on the start of gas production from the Aphrodite field will arrive around the end of March or early next month: “After that, we will start negotiations with EU“. The minister regretfully admits that these will be limited volumes at first. But he admits that new intelligence activities will receive new data.

By the end of this month, ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy will complete exploration in Block 10 of the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus. Expectations are optimistic, there is hope that estimates of the volume of gas on the shelf of Cyprus will be adjusted upwards. In addition, ExxonMobil is planning to start seismographic work in block #5 to determine its possible connection with block #10. The first drilling of Eni-Total will be carried out before the end of this year.

Natasha Pilidis spoke about the great optimism that the progress in the development of the EuroAsia Interconnector project causes: Cyprus will be connected to the mainland and will be able to import and export energy. She emphasizes: “Our plans have not changed in any way.” The Minister also announced the upcoming meeting with her Israeli counterpart on April 11. According to Pilidis, the EU understands how important the project for the energy connection of Cyprus to the mainland is for the country.

In the meantime, there is a dynamic movement on the project, its start is scheduled for the last quarter of 2022. Active work is underway to link Crete and Attica with a single cable laid along the seabed. Then he will be taken from Crete to Cyprus. Already in 2026, electricity, as planned, will begin to flow from Crete to Cyprus.

The priority is to connect Cyprus to the power grids of Europe. At the second stage, the cable will be laid from Cyprus to Israel. Then the turn will come to implement the next project – EuroAfrica Interconnector, within which a cable will be laid from Cyprus to Egypt. Natasha Pilidis recalled that the European Union allocated 657 million euros for the implementation of the project, with a total budget of 800 million euros, writes GreekReporter.

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